lights, camera, action
by sleepless-royalty
Summary: "We may have met on a set, but what I feel for you is real." "…You are so cheesy." "Shut up!"/in which Gray and Erza are extras, and Lucy and Natsu will never stop trying to set them up—grayza, nalu.
1. Chapter 1

**_Summary: "We may have met on a set, but what I feel for you is real." "…You are so cheesy." "Shut up!"—grayza, nalu._**

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 **This will mostly be a side thing while my main focus is butterfly wings. Don't expect consistent updates haha.**

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1

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Walking into the room was a blur for the scarlet-haired woman. She had come in on a favor for one of her closest friends - Lucy - only to be whisked away by hair stylists fawning over her brilliantly colored hair, makeup artists covering her face with foundation and eyeshadow and blush and whatever the heck else people used on their faces, and stylists picking out dresses and shoes for her to wear. Once the process was all finished, she found herself facing a smirking Lucy - hair done in a brilliant golden cascade of curls and dressed in a red halter top and jeans.

"Sorry, Erza," the actress said, sounding more smug than apologetic. "We needed an extra, and I thought, 'Hmm, Erza owes me a favor for getting her that date with Jellal Fernandes.'"

"It was a total bust," Erza interjected.

"So you needed the glam up," Lucy shrugged. "It's what I like to do to feel better. Ever heard the phrase, 'Fake it 'til you make it?'"

The redhead gave her friend a flat stare, "You may do such things because of your profession, however, that is not the type of person I am. Besides, you know how terrible I am when it comes to acting."

The blonde shot her a dazzling smile, "That, my dear Erza, is why you're not going to be acting at all." She booped her friend on the nose for emphasis. "You are simply going to be an extra! That's how I met _my_ boyfriend~!"

"And Hibiki Lates is _ever_ the perfect boy," Erza remarked blandly. "You're trying to set me up? My dream date with the most perfect boy in the film industry failed, I doubt this extra - who they probably picked off of the street, no less - will help me nurse my broken heart."

Lucy rolled her eyes at the Hibiki comment, far too used to the snide remarks, but clapped her hands brightly at the end of her friend's pessimistic mini-monologue.

"That's the best part!" She cheered. "You don't have to date him, you just have to pretend-date him! Get to know him! Make a new friend! As long as you're having fun while I have to deal with-" The blonde scrunched her nose up, "-Natsu Dragneel."

Erza arched an eyebrow, "That's what you get for choosing to be a part of an entire TV series with him as your love interest."

Lucy shivered uncomfortably, "I didn't know he was supposed to be playing Haru until after I signed the contract. But this isn't about me, okay? And about Jellal being the most perfect boy in the film industry - he isn't. He went downhill and got high or something, and now he's all blackballed and nobody wants him for anything. I doubt you'd want to date that mess."

Erza smiled faintly, "Let me cool down, alright? My fangirl heart is still getting over that."

Lucy snorted and linked arms with her, dragging her to the set. The lights flashed brilliantly in her eyes, and the scene was bustling with life. People shouted at each other, pushed props around, and actors rehearsed their lines along the sidelines of the set.

"Hello, Mr. Dreyar," Erza called softly. Said old man grinned at her, chugging down his whiskey before waddling over to his rightful place in the director's seat.

"Ms. Scarlet, please sit at that table near the edge," Mr. Dreyar ordered politely, surprisingly sober despite the outrageous amount of alcohol he had consumed. "Your partner will be Mr. Fullbuster. Make conversation so that the scene seems more real."

Erza sat herself down in her assigned seat, while Lucy reluctantly forced herself in hers. The pink-haired man in front of her gave her an unimpressed stare as the noise of the set blared on. Chattering filled Erza's ears, but she ignored it in favor of staring at the "menu" and refusing to meet her new partner's eyes.

"My name's Gray, by the way," he grunted.

Erza made a startled sound, but looked up to see a raven-haired man with mysterious pools of deep, deep sapphire, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt.

"Erza," she nodded curtly.

"You here against your will, too?"

Erza raised her eyebrows, a small smile tugging at her lips, not registering Mr. Dreyar shouting action in the background.

"Sadly," she replied. "My friend asked me here on a favor, and then surprised me with this little 'role.'"

Gray chuckled, leaning back in his seat, "My childhood friend asked me here so that he had someone to back him up if 'the blonde got too obnoxious again.'"

"Lucy is actually one of my closest friends," Erza said tersely, though not unkindly. "Though she can be obnoxious at times, she means well. She doesn't always know how to act, because she grew up in isolation due to a strict - and rich - father. I assume you're friends with Natsu?"

Gray raised his eyebrows, surprised at her formal speech pattern, and took a long sip of his drink, "Yeah. I just broke up with my girlfriend Juvia - her romantic tension with my brother was too much to handle. That idiotic pyro thought that this would be fun."

"I'm recovering from a heartbreak as well," Erza's lips quirked up slightly. "My fantastical romance didn't work out so well, and this is how Lucy tried to have me cope. So far, this setup is far better than the date I went on. He pushed me away, just as we were about to kiss."

"That sucks," the other said sympathetically. He paused for a moment, "Wait, was that a pun? Setup and we're on a set?"

Erza laughed, "Yes, it was."

Gray chuckled, "I wouldn't have thought that you would be the punny type of g-"

"CUT!" Mr. Dreyar shouted. "Mr. Fullbuster, Ms. Scarlet, although I appreciate that you're making conversation like I asked, Natsu and Lucy are the ones that are supposed to be making the lovey-dovey eyes - not two extras."

Erza whipped her head around in shock, and locked eyes with Lucy, who was wearing an _I told you_ so smirk proudly on her lips. Natsu, on the other hand, was making kissy faces at Gray, who desperately looked like he wanted to sock the actor in the face.

"I apologize, Mr. Dreyar," Erza bowed, blushing profusely. Gray nodded in agreement.

The director grunted, chuckling a bit at their antics, "No worries, brats. Just redo the scene."

Although her cheeks were dusted pink, and Gray seemed to be avoiding her eyes out of embarrassment now, Erza thought, _maybe this isn't so bad._

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 **I'm going to try my hand at a GrayZa multichap because I'm appalled at the lack of GrayZa-NaLu fanfiction in this community. Don't expect a whopping forty chapters, this is probably going to be twenty at most. Tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

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 **2**

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Sunday mornings were undoubtedly the best mornings to stop by Magnolia's infamous cafe Thunder Strauss. It was run by the three Strauss siblings, their significant others, and Freed Justine - all close friends since childhood all the way 'til now. Their drinks were superb, and their food was the cream of the crop; however, they were notorious for their patrons brawling and destroying the building on a regular basis.

Sunday mornings were the best, though, because there was rarely anyone around at that time. That was why it became a regular hang out every week at the same time for a certain strange trio.

The young woman sat and sipped her coffee, legs crossed and soft blue curls like ocean waves tumbling down her back. A hat rested atop her head, and she was dressed snugly in a long sleeved, blue dress that reached her ankles and tall brown boots.

The males next to her were, unlike her, unrefined and lacking in certain manners. One had bright pink hair, and was casually flicking a lighter open and closed, eyes drawn to the flame like a true pyromaniac. The second was stripped down to his underwear, and looked completely at ease. Otherwise, he would've looked just like any normal person - albeit more handsome. The three were chattering brightly, far too brightly for a Sunday morning.

"A _role_?" Gray said dubiously. "Are you kidding me? Have you _seen_ me act? I have just about as much emotion as a brick! And _I'm_ the one saying that about _me_!"

Natsu snickered, "Yeah, that's true. But, apparently, Gramps needs someone to step in for Sting - cos', y'know, he had to leave for that movie deal. He's making a new character, but he doesn't want to hold auditions, so he's basing it off of you to make it easier."

Gray groaned, "But-"

"Oh, come on, Gray-san!" Juvia cut in, giggling. Before they had broken up, she had used the honorific '-sama,' however, it felt too awkward to use anymore as it brought back memories they felt the need to put behind them. Unlike other relationships, they had had a strong friendship prior to dating, and remained good friends. "It's an entire role completely based on _you_! To Juvia, that is a _huge_ honor! Besides, Makarov-san is kind enough to pay you for it, much more than he paid Sting-san."

"B-"

"No," Natsu cut him off. "Buts. Juvia already said it. You're accepting the role. Deal with it."

"What kind of character is this anyway?" Gray rolled his eyes.

"Juvia believes that it is a man from a former arranged marriage with Lucy-san's character Elie, except now he works at a spy agency. Natsu's character Haru isn't fond of him in the slightest," Juvia chewed on her lip. "Juvia thinks that he is going to be a love rival to Haru."

Natsu grinned, "I would say that you can have her, Gray, but you've been giving that scary redhead eyes all week."

Gray rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time.

Juvia clapped her hands, "Gray-san has already found himself a girlfriend? Juvia must meet her and make sure she is worthy to even be your friend. She also must make sure this Lucy girl isn't a snob like the magazines make her out to be."

"Lucy isn't a snob," Gray said. "She's actually really nice. She just hates Natsu. And what magazines are you reading? Lucy isn't _that_ famous."

"Juvia!" Natsu wailed pathetically. "Please take her place! I know you're not a professional actress, but you're really good and even though you're like my sister, I'D REALLY RATHER BE PLAYING YOUR BOYFRIEND THAN LUIGI'S."

Juvia blinked, slowly. Once. Twice. "Luigi?"

"Now you see why she hates him," Gray laughed.

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Elsewhere, a busty blonde and her equally well-endowed, redhead friend sat next to each other, discussing things quietly over a coffee. They were both beautiful women, though the blonde was seemingly far more uninhibited than her friend.

"A role?" Erza queried. "We've been over this, Lucy. I am not capable of acting."

"Stage acting," Lucy corrected. "You're a really good actress! Just not live. This'll be a familiar set, with people you know and everything! You're acquainted with all the actors, so this won't be that new. And you can retake as many times as you need!"

Erza twiddled her fingers, tugging at a lock of hair hesitantly. "What's…What's the character like?"

Lucy paused, "Makarov is basing her off of you, just to make it easier. Um, I think she's one of those fierce independent women, just like you. The only difference is, instead of the two of us being close friends from the start, we're going to be enemies."

"Why is he suddenly making a new character?" Erza asked. "It's far too random."

Lucy smiled. Of course Erza would observe something so trivial.

"You see," Lucy began. "Sting left for that huge movie deal, so we needed someone to replace him. Dragneel's immediate response was to add Gray, and Makarov said it would be easier than having auditions. The thing is, Gray was already an extra, so we're going to have to implement this whole plot from that because fans go nuts with their theories. But then, people would start asking questions about you because you sat with him and it looked like you two were on a date, too. Which was what was intended, but y'know. Makarov thought it would be a huge headache, so he began with the end in mind and created a character for you."

"That's…" Erza trailed off. "Interesting, I suppose. I agree. Wait, what is my character's relationship to Gray's character in this?"

"Um," Lucy chuckled nervously. "You're his…"

"His…?"

"His fiancée."

"Oh," Erza said, unfazed. Lucy was surprised, she thought her friend would take it far worse than simply an 'oh.' The scarlet-haired woman's eyes widened, " _Oh_."

There it was.

The blonde gasped, noticing that her friend was as still as a stone statue - and as pale as a ghost. Lucy frantically shook her redheaded friend, "Erza? ERZA! _ERZA, ARE YOU OKAY_?"

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"ERZA, ARE YOU OKAY?"

The cry resonated throughout the cafe. The voice was clear cut and sharp, effectively shattering the eardrums of the resident pyromaniac with far too sharp senses to be possible. Gray arched an eyebrow in confusion, quickly jogging toward the commotion.

Natsu's nose twitched irritably, "She's everywhere."

Juvia cocked her head to the side, blinking her eyes owlishly, "Who?"

"Let's just say," Natsu began. "That now you'll meet Gray's prospective girlfriend. And Loony."

Juvia clapped her hands cheerily, a wide smile overtaking her face, "Juvia is so excited!" Her face darkened. "However, if Lucy is as bad as the magazines make her out to be…"

"Yeah, yeah, you freakin' bipolar water woman," Natsu rolled his eyes, tugging her arm along to pursue Gray. "We get it."

The bluenette's eyes watered.

"Why is Natsu-san so mean to Juvia?" she wailed.

"Oh no."

"Erza, Erza, _Erza_ , _Erza_ , ERZA!"

"You know, the more you say her name, the less it sounds like an actual word. Well, I guess it's a name but - "

"Gray!" Lucy let go of the redhead whom she had been frantically shaking. "You're here! Why?" She cocked her head to the side, eyes wide in her confusion.

"Natsu, Juvia, and I come here every Sunday morning," Gray said simply. "It's sort of like a tradition. The question should be: what are you doing here?" He glanced at the redhead lying motionless on the sofa next to the blonde. "Uh, is she okay?"

"SHE'S GOING INTO SHOCK!" Lucy screamed. "QUICK, GIVE HER THE KISS OF LIFE." The loudness of her voice was only exaggerated by the fact that Gray could feel her breath on his face - and she was standing three feet away from him.

"Uhh…" he stammered dumbly. "Isn't that sexual harassment?"

"Who is Gray-San intending to harass sexually?" a new voice cut in. "Gray-san, Juvia has taught you better than that."

Lucy's frantic personality did a one-eighty, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the newcomer. The bluenette in question's joking mood sunk into a suspicious glare.

"Are you Gray's girlfriend?"

"Is Lucy-san a love rival to Gray-san's prospective girlfriend?"

The two stared each other down, tension thick in the air. Silence encased the group, animosity forming between the two girls.

Natsu whistled lowly, whispering slightly fearfully, "Looks like Juvia isn't the only bipolar one here…"

Lucy blinked, "Wait. Are we arguing over something we agree on?"

Juvia hummed, "Juvia doesn't know. Is Lucy-san interested in Gray-san?"

"No," the blonde wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Ew, _n_ _o_."

Juvia beamed, "Then Juvia and Lucy-san will be good friends. Juvia is Juvia. Juvia is actually Gray's _ex_ -girlfriend."

Gray coughed awkwardly.

"Cool, you must have a ton of dirt on him then," Lucy smirked, causing Juvia to laugh. "I'm Lucy, but you obviously know that." She patted the still-frozen Erza's shoulder. "This is my friend Erza Scarlet."

"Is she okay, by the way?" Natsu cut in. "She looks…dead."

Lucy broke out into a sweat, "Do you think so? Oh no, what am I going to do without her? SHE CAN'T BE DEAD!" She frantically shook Natsu back and forth. "SHE CAN'T! SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND!"

"Chill, Lucy!" Gray interjected. "She's not dead; she's just in shock. But from what?"

Lucy turned around to face the boy, wiping her hands on the front of her jeans as if repulsed by the fact that she had just touched Natsu.

"I told her about the role," she said simply. "And…" The blonde hesitated, before a perfect cover up came to her. "She…she getsstagefright."

Gray blinked. "She wha-?"

Juvia chimed in, "Juvia thinks that there is another reason why Erza-san is in a state of shock."

"She probably got another Flitter* update about Jellal Fernandes, too, I guess," Lucy said doubtfully, words falling out of her mouth without filter.

Juvia nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, Jellal Fernandes is very dreamy, but not Juvia's type."

"Haha, yeah," Lucy agreed. "He's not too bad of a guy, really. He's pretty nice. Just made some bad choices."

Awkward silence enveloped the group.

"Hey, Gray, why don't you carry Erza out to our car?" Lucy suggested brightly.

"Yeah, Rush hour's coming and we don't want any paparazzi or anything finding us," Natsu chuckled. The pair exchanged a glance, knowing that they weren't famous enough to warrant tabloids. "I need to talk to Lucy about something for a sec. Juvia, can you help him?"

Gray and Juvia glanced at each other, unsure of what to make of the duo's sudden sync, before shrugging. The male hoisted the redhead onto his back, and Lucy did not fail to notice Erza's sudden awakening. The blonde was almost positive her independent friend would hop down from his back, claiming that she could handle herself - but Erza surprised her. The redhead sighed, sinking lower on to Gray's back, the rocking caused he walking lulling her into a daze. Juvia and Lucy shared a smile, Natsu smirking at the sappiness.

"It's the gray Prius, by the way!" Lucy called as the trio left the cafe. She turned to the pinkette, "So what is it you want to talk about, Dragneel?"

"They're good together, right?" Natsu chuckled. "They're just too stupid to do anything about it."

Lucy hummed in agreement, "True."

"So, you wanna make a truce?"

"A truce?" Lucy arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, in the name of our friend's romance," Natsu said simply, grinning toothily at her.

"I didn't think you'd be so into romance, _Natsu_ ," Lucy purred jokingly.

Natsu shrugged, ignoring the involuntary shivers that went through his spine at the way she said his name - his first name, for once. "Well, you know me: the most lovey-dovey guy you'll ever meet."

Lucy laughed, "Sure. Truce."

Natsu's eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Yep," the blonde nodded.

"AWESOME!" the pinkette cheered. "WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THE BEST TEAM, LUIGI!"

"THE NAME'S LUCY!"

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 **Flitter* = my variation of Twitter, haha.**

 **Only real development in this is GrayZa chemistry and NaLu team :'D**

 **Thanks so much for all the reviews! ILYASM HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS HUMOROUS/FILLER-ISH/NOT THAT GREAT CHAPPIE~**

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 **Review Corner :3**

 **Zunifex:** YEAH I GOT IT OFF OF TUMBLR AND I REALLY LIKED IT SO XD That's exactly how I feel omg let's be friends X3 THANK YOU!

 **Genie For Your Wish:** This is actually not my first GrayZa fanfic, but it is my first GrayZa multichap :,) Thank you for the support! I'm actually not a huge fan of Lyvia, but hey it's cute and most GrayZa shippers seem to like it. And thank you! Frankly, I'm a bit worried about my characterization. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE FEEDBACK :D And yes, Hibiki X Lucy. I ship NaLu way more, but they were so cute in the Oracion Seis arc :3

 **alonelycamel:** THANK YOU! Here's the update XD

 **Mira-san7:** Thank you :)

 **:** THANK YOU! I'M GLAD YOU LIKE IT!

 **Guest:** Look, thanks and all, but you don't really have the right to judge my story when you hadn't even finished the first chapter. Erza and Gray are not heartbroken, they are just being sarcastic and making pleasantry. Erza is a naturally melancholic character in my story - and Gray is being normal so as to not scare her too early on. This isn't about heartbreak and healing: these are the shenanigans of two actors and their friends and their friends' friends. This is intended to be a very lighthearted and hopefully humorous story. No one is heartbroken. I think. I don't really have a plan for this story, this is just a side thing for the GrayZa community. But you cannot judge my story without finishing it.


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